Janice I. Luckenbill

      Janice I. Luckenbill, 82, of Elkhart passed away at 9:20 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Hubbard Hill. She was born Nov. 30, 1937 in Elkhart to A. Rex and Gladys (Schenk) Luckenbill. and is survived by 2 nephews, Mike Luckenbill and Heath Luckenbill and 3 great nieces, Alexis Hughes, Victoria and Aubrie Luckenbill. She was precedent in death by her parents and a brother, Ted Luckenbill. She also helped raise two foster children.

     Janice graduated from Elkhart High School in 1955 and from Goshen College in 1959 with a B.S. in nursing.  Soon after, she did advanced study in Maternal/Child Nursing at the Cornell Medical Center in NY, then taught and supervised Maternal/Newborn Nursing at Goshen College.  From those beginnings, Janice went on to touch the lives of many people is positive ways.

     The majority of her hospital career was at EGH as a staff nurse, head nurse, and Quality Assurance Coordinator.  She developed and taught the first pharmacology course for LPN’s.  She also developed orientation programs for nursing staff and assisted with the founding of the Elkhart Ostomy Club and Elkhart Community Hospice.  She went on to develop and implement the Diabetes Education program at EGH and was certified in diabetes education for 24 years.  For 21 years she served as head nurse and education director at a summer camp for children and teens with diabetes and was also an advisor to the Lay Diabetic Society of Elkhart County.

     Janice has been a guest instructor at two area college schools of nursing teaching diabetes management and ostomy care.  While performing her various nursing duties, for 6 years she lived with and shared the care of a person who was iron lung dependent.  Following retirement from nursing she studied with Jean Houston and later with Barbara Brennan.  She then began her private practice in Healing Energy and taught in the Barbara Brennan School of Healing for 18 years.

     Janice enjoyed water skiing, gardening, reading and travel.  Her personal goals were to keep learning and expanding life’s possibilities.  She was empathic, sensitive, patient, kind, dedicated, honest and had a compassionate heart. Janice was a member of Belmont Mennonite Church.  There will not be an in-person funeral service, but a celebration of life for Janice is being planned for YouTube.  A link will be added to this obituary when available.

     Memorials may be made to Bashor Children’s Home or to JDRF.

A Celebration of Life service can be viewed at https://youtu.be/hJR32qaz4p4. 

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